Who is Jonathan Matusitz?
Jonathan Matusitz is a tenured professor at the University of Central Florida who has leveraged his academic credentials to espouse anti-Muslim propaganda and has ties with ACT for America, an anti-Muslim hate group.
Anti-Muslim Activities
As an associate professor at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media, his public views have contributed to the proliferation of Islamophobia in mainstream discourse.
In 2013, Dr. Jonathan Matusitz notably appeared on a panel alongside anti-Muslim figures Frank Gaffney and Pamela Geller.
On the panel, Matusitz stated: “So when my colleagues tell me that Islam is a religion of peace, I tell them that Islam is a religion of pieces. Piece of body here, piece of body there.” Matusitz follows up his comment with: “Now this panel is about radical Islam. I would take the word ‘radical’ out of the equation, the problem is Islam.”
Matusitz promoted the civilizational jihad conspiracy theory on the panel by asserting that “the duty of a true Muslim is to conquer foreign lands.” Matusitz alleges: “Before 9/11, there were 1200 mosques in the United States. Today it is 2200. This is no coincidence. Even though they killed three thousand people on that fateful day, they will continue invading our country. Frank, like you said, in our country it’s not so much a wolf, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, what we call ‘stealth jihad.’ Infiltrating our education. Infiltrating our political system, imposing political correctness and imposing hate crime bills.”
In 2013, Matusitz alleged a conspiracy that the Muslim Brotherhood has ties with Obama’s White House. At an event hosted at UCF, he claims: “We know (U.S. policy) not working in the White House because the Muslim Brotherhood is in bed with them.”
In a video posted on YouTube, Matusitz asserts: “So why? Why do so many Muslims relative to other religions want to kill us? The answer is easy. Very easy. It’s seven letters: culture,” and “Imagine that symbolic interaction that from the cradle until you’re an adult teaches you to hate.”
In 2013, Matusitz was scheduled to speak at a Republican Party event hosted by its chapter in Pinellas County, Florida. Titled “The Islamic Threat to America,” the event was indefinitely postponed after members of the party voiced criticism of his ‘anti-Islam’ speech.
Influence
Dr. Jonathan Matusitz has extensive ties to ACT for America, an anti-Muslim hate group.
In 2019, Matusitz participated on a panel discussion hosted by ACT for America. Matusitz promoted Douglas Murray’s anti-Muslim book The Strange Death of Europe on the panel – a book described in The New York Times as “a handy digest of far-right cliches.”
While Jonathan Matusitz denies being a member of ACT! for America, a copy of his curriculum vitae from 2011 revealed that he listed himself as “Membership Director, ACT for America- Central Florida Chapter, Fall 2011” and “Co-organizer of the Speakers Bureau, ACT for America – Central Florida Chapter, Fall 2011.“ The copy of the CV has been removed from his public profile.
In the realm of academia, Dr. Matusitz wields the capacity to shape the perceptions of his students and Islamophobic rhetoric beyond the classroom.